Base for electric lamps and similar devices



Jan. 11, 1944; L. L. MATSON 2,338,855

BASE FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS AND SIMILAR DEVICES Filed May 8, 1942 F' .8. Fi .9. Fi .10.

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Inventor:

Luis L. Mat'son,

Hls A't'torneg.

Patented Jan. 11, 1944 BASE FOR ELECTRC LAMPS AND SIMILAR D VICE Louis L. Matson, East Cleveland, Dhio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 8, 1942, Serial No. 442,257

19 Claims.

This invention relates to basing the bulbs or envelopes of electrical devices, including incandescent lamps as well as discharge devices of various kinds, and is concerned with the provision of electrical contacts on base structures, and with the mounting of such structures on bulbs and the like. The invention involves novelty of the base structure and its contact means, as well as novelty in applying or connecting the base' structure to an electrical device and its bulb or envelope. The invention permits of cheapening the base structure, of facilitating and cheapening its attachment, of dispensing with soldering or welding operations or the like in connecting the electrical device to the base, and of utilizing one or more lead wires from the electrical device as contact means for the base. The invention is hereinafter explained with particular reference to bases of Edison and other screw and center contact types; but it will be understood that it is also applicable to bases of very different types, such as the double end-contact bayonet type, for example.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of species and forms of embodiment, and from the drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of one form of base conveniently embodying the invention, an end portion of an incandenscent lamp to which the base is applied being also shown, and the section being taken as indicated by the line and arrows l-I in Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a plan or end view of the base shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same base without the lamp, taken as indicated by the line and arrows 3-3 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view corresponding to a portion of Fig. 1, but illustrating a variation.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary tilted or perspective view of another form of base embodying the invention, with a portion of a lamp to which this base is attached; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line and arrows 6-4 in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the line and arrows 1-1 in Fig. 6, on a larger scale; and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view corresponding to a portion of Fig. 6, but illustrating a modification.

Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are sectional views of still another form of base embodying my invention, illustrating stages in the connection and secur ingof a current lead; and Figs. 12 and 13 are similar views illustrating further variations.

. or skirt ill with an insulative body I I at one end thereof, such as glass, here shown as of frustroconical conformation where it projects through the end opening of the screw shell l0. As shown in Fig. 1, basing cement l2 may be used to assist in fixing the base A on the neck of the lamp bulb B. As usual, one lead wire i3 from the lamp B- is bent backward to extend out between the lamp bulb and the screw shell l0, and is connected to the latter in any suitable way at It. Instead of carrying an apertured metal center contact, the insulative base body II is pierced with a hole or opening 16 through which the other lead wire i1 is passed to extend out to the outer end surface of the body II. The body II also has another opening or recess i8 extending inward from its end surface, here shown as a hole pierced through the body ll back into the interior of the base structure A. These openings i5, i8 are shown in Figs. 1-3 as equidistant from the axis of the base A at opposite sides thereof, and may be about inch apart, more or less. The end portion of the lead wire I! which extends out through the hole I6 is bent over across the end surface of the body ll between the holes I6'and I8, and into the latter. The bight or bend of the lead wire between the holes IB, I8 is left exposed on the exterior of the body H to serve as a center contact for the base A, while the end of the wire is sheltered and interlocked or anchored in the recess afforded by the hole i8, into which it is tucked as just described. As here shown, the end surface of the insulative material between the holes l6, l8 across which the wire I1 extends is raised or bossed outward at I9 in a spherical conformation, to sustain the bight portion of the wire il in a rounded bend most suitable for its function as a center contact. The anchorage of the wire end at l8 may be made still more secure by cementing it in place, which may be effected by fusing down the glass of the body ll around this wire end, as indicated at 20 in Fig. 4.

The base structure Aa illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, '7, and 8 differs from that in Figs. 1-4 in that the screw threaded shell or skirt 10a is not of metal but is formed of the molded glass or plastic or other insulative material that also forms the base body ii. Easing cement 92 may be used in fixing this base Ad on the neck oi-the bulb B, as in Fig.

'tion 2i of the wire I3 is accommodated, sheltered,

and interlocked in a channel or groove 22 ex tending across the screw threads, and of such depth that about half the thickness of the wire lies in it at the bottoms of the threads. .To interlock the wire contact portion 2i more secure- 1y, its bend past the edge of shell I may be en== gaged in a notch 23 in the shell wall at the corresponding end of the groove 22, and its extreme end may be bent into a recess or opening 24 at the other end of the groove, here shown as a hole pierced through the shell wall. The anchorage of the wire end that is thus tucked into the hole 24 may be made more secure by cementing it in place, as shown in Fig. 8 at 25. The other lead wire I! extends out through an opening I6 in the body I I and is bent over across the end surface I9a of the body and tucked into another recess or opening I8, where it is sheltered, interlocked, and anchored as in Figs. 1-4, preferably with cementing at as shown in Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 6, the end surface I9a of the insulative material between the holes I6, I8 (across which the wire I1 extends) is rounded cylindrically about an axis perpendicular-to that of the skirt ID, to sustain the wire bight and resist displacement thereof by any torque to which it may be subjected.

The base structure Ab illustrated in Figs. 9-11 differs from that in Figs. 5-8 as regards the arrangement of the lead wire I"! that form a center contact. This lead wire II extends out through a central opening or hole IS?) in the body II and is initially bent to one side to lie horizontal across the flat end surface of the body I I, adjacent the opening IN). The other opening or recess I81) of the body II is shown as a radial groove extending through the marginal shoulder of the frustro-conical external end protuberance of the body II, from a point near the hole I6b to the annular surface of the shoulder 30. As shown. most clearly in Fig. 9, the groove I8b deepens on a slope outward from a point near where the hole I6b issues through the top of the protuberance, so that when the end portion of the wire I! is bent downward into the groove against its bottom, an outward prolongation of the wire from the shoulder 30 would lie in close proximity to the outer annular corner of the base structure Ab. A the outer end of the groove IN), the slope of its ttom increases into parallelism with the conical shoulder surface 30, thus affording a terminal recess at 33.

After the lead wire I! has been passed through the opening I 6b and bent outward to lie horizontal across theflat end surface of body II, the basing operation may be finally completed in various ways. One way is to merely cut off the lead wire I I at a point X such that when the wire is bent down into the groove I8b, its end will be as close as possible to the shoulder 30, leaving the end of the wire more or less masked in the groove I8b. Or the wire I! may first be bent down into the groove I81), and then cut off at X. If desired, any corner of the wire end protruding beyond the shoulder surface 30 may essence be filed or smoothed away as indicated. Another way of completing the operation is to cut oil the wire U further outwardbeyond the exterior surface 30 ofthe body II, as indicated at in Fig. 9, and afterward force and bend the very end of the wire down into the recess at 33, a indicated at y in Fig. 10. Either method leaves the wire t'l exposed between the opening I621 and 9th to serve as a center contact, and also results in sheltering and locking the wire end where it is bent or tucked into the recess or groove. In any case, of course, the extremity of the wire I1 maybe cemented in place in the recess or groove, as indicated at in Fig. 11.

A somewhat different way of dealing with the wire I! is illustrated in Figs. 12 and .13, with a correspondingly modified base Ac. Here the bottom of the groove I8c is straight throughout,

without the angle indicated at 33 in Figs. 9-11.

At the outer end of the groove, however, there is a much deeper. recess 36 than at 33, in Figs. 9-11,

' this recess 36 being shown as a hole pierced through the body I I back into the interior of the base structure Ac. After being passed through the opening I 60, the lead wire I! may be bent outward across the end surface of the body I I, and cut off about as indicated (in dot and dash lines) at Z in Fig. 12. Its extremity 31 may then be bent down as indicated in Fig. 12, and the wire I! may be bent down into the groove I80 so as to insert or tuck the end 3'! into the opening or recess 36, as shown in full lines in Fig. 12. This end 31 may then be cemented in place as indicated at 38 in Fig. 13.

In the base construction shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the threaded shell or skirt consists of the neck of the bulb Bd, which is threaded as at Id and provided with conductive means connected to one of the lamp leads. This may be done, for example, as shown in U. S. patents to Geiger, Nos. 1,925,986 and 2,047,023, or in a manner corresponding to Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8', as here illustrated. For this purpose, the lamp lead wire. I3

extends from the lamp stem 40 across the end of the bulb Bd to the exterior of its threaded neck, which has a groove 22 similar to that in Figs. 5-8 to receive it, so that it is exposed at the bottoms of the threads and yet securely interlocked in the groove. The extremity of the wire I3 may be tucked into a recess in the bulb neck, where its anchorage may be made more secure by cementing as indicated at 25d, just as in Figs. 5-8. The insulative base body IId comprises almost the entire separate base structure Ad, and ha a central annular flange 4| on its side next the end of the bulb neck, to engage in the end of the lamp stem All and center the body Ad relative to thebulb Bd. Cement I 2d is shown for securing the body IId to the bulb Ed. The central opening "id for the lead wire I! is extended to the periphery of the body IId as a. radial slot, Fig. 15, to facilitate passing the lead wire II into or through it, and the grooved opening or recess I 8d is shown as prolonged beyond the shoulder 30 of the body protuberance to the periphery of the body I Id. After being passed into or through the opening IGd, the lead wire I 'I may be bent outward to extend across the end surface or top of the protuberance as shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 14 and cut off at a suitable distance beyond the shoulder 30 of this protuberance, as indicated at Z. Its end portion may then be tucked into the opening or recess afforded by the groove I 8d by bending it downward and forcing it to the bottom of the groove aaaaaes i8d, its outer extremity 42 being in this operation slightly bent upward in such a way as insures its being sheltered and locked in the groove, where it cannot catch on anything. The resulting anchorage or the wire end may be made still more secure by suitably cementing it fast, as indicated at 43 in Fig. 14.-

In any of the constructions hereinbefore illustrated, the end of the lead wire l3 or I1 may be cemented to anchor it more securely with any suitable cement, whether one that is applied soft and afterward hardens, like basing cement, or a fusible cement that is softened by heat and hardens on cooling. As an example of such fusible cementing, the glass of the threaded shell or of the end body of the base structure may be fused and then allowed to harden about the wire end, thus embedding and anchoring the latter securely.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a base construction for electrical devices of the character described, the combination with an insulative shell provided with screw threads those of a corresponding for cooperating with socket device, and an msulative body having an opening therethrough, of lead wires extending from the electrical device out through said insulative body opening and to the threaded surface of said insulative shell, respectively, and exposed as electrical contacts on the end surface of said insulative body and in the screw threads of said shell.

2. In a base construction for electrical devices of the character described, the combination with an insulative shell provided with screw threads for cooperating with those of a corresponding socket device, and having a groove therein across its threads, with a recess opening into said groove, and an insulative body having an opening therethrough and a separate external recess near said opening, of lead wires extending from the electrical device out through said insulative body opening and to the threaded surface of said insulative shell, respectively, and exposed as electrical contacts on the end surface of said insulative body and in said groove where it crosses the screw threads, and having their ends anchored in said recesses of said insulative body and shell.

3. A base structure for electrical devices of the character described comprisin an insulative end body having an .opening therethrough and a separate external recess near said opening, and also including an externally threaded insulative shell with a recess amongst the threads.

. 4. A base structure for electrical devices of the character described comprising an insulative end body having an opening therethrough and a separate external recess near said opening. and also including an externall threaded insulative shell with a groove across the threads.

5. In a base construction for electrical devices of the character described, the combination with an insulative shell provided with screw threads for cooperating with those of a corresponding socket device, of a lead wire extending fromthe electrical device to the threaded surface of said insulative shell and there exposed in its screw threads.

6. In a base construction for electrical devices of the character described, the combination with an insulative shell provided with screw threads for cooperating with those of a corresponding socket device, and having a groove therein across its threads, of a lead wire extending from the electrical device to the threaded surface of said insulative shell and there engaged and sheltered in said groove, but exposed in the screw threads where the groove crosses them.

'7. In a base construction for electrical devices of the character described, the combination with an insulative shell provided with screw threads for cooperating with those of a corresponding socket device, and having a groove in its threaded area with a recess opening into the groove, of a lead wire extending from the electrical device to the threaded surface of said insulative shell and its said groove, and extending along in said groove to said recess, and having its end anchored in the recess.

8. In a base construction for electrical devices of the character described. the combination with a base structure comprising an insulative body with an external protuberance presenting a mar ginal shoulder, and}- having an opening therethrough issuing at the top of said protuberance, and a recess in said shoulder; of a wire extending out through said opening and bent over across the top of said protuberance into said recess, and having its end interlocked in the recess.

9. In a base construction for electrical devices of the character described, the combination with a base structure comprising an insulative body with an external boss thereon and holes therein at opposite sides of said boss, of a wire extending out through one of said holes and'bent over across said boss and inward into the other hole, with a portion thereof across the boss exposed as an electrical contact.

10. A method for connecting a base structure comprising an apertured insulative base body to an electrical device of the character described having a lead wire, and for providing said base .body with a center contact; which method comprises passing the lead wire through the base body aperture and positioning the base structure on the electrical device, and bending over the lead wire on the exterior of said insulative base body and leaving a portion of said wire exposed there as an electrical contact.

11. A method for connecting a base structure comprising an apertured insulative base body to an electrical device of the character described having a lead wire, and for providing said base body with a center contact; which method comprises passing the l'ead wire through the base body aperture and positioning the base structure on the electrical device, bending over the lead wire on the exterior of said insulative base body and leaving a portion of said wire exposed there as an electrical contact, and fusing the end of said wire into said insulative body.

12. A method for connecting to an electrical device of the character described, having a lead wire, a base structure comprising an insulative base body with an opening therethrough, and another opening thereinto from its exterior; which method comprises passing the lead wire through the first-mentioned opening and positioning the base structure on the electrical device, and bending over the lead wire across the insulative base body into the other opening and cementing it fast there.

13. A method for attaching to an electrical device of the character described, having a lead wire, a base structure comprising an insulative base body with an opening therethrough, and an external recess therein; which method comprises passing the lead wire through said opening and positioning the base structure on the electrical device, and bending over and exposing the lead wire as a contact on the outer surface of said base body, and tucking its end into said recess.

14. A method for attaching to an electrical device of the character described, having a lead wire, a base structure comprising an insula-tive base body with an external protuberance presenting a marginal shoulder, and having a hole therethrough issuing at the top of said protuberance, and an outward extending groove across its shoulder; which method comprises passing the lead .wire through said opening and positioning the.

base structure on the electrical device, bending said wire outward across the top of said pro tuberance and into said groove, and also cutting 01! said wire beyond the periphery of said protuberance.

15. A base construction of the character described, for mounting an electrical device in a socket, comprising a shell for securing the device in the socket and an associated insulative baseend body with adjacent lead-wire holes open therethroug-h, permitting a lead wire of the electrical device to bepassed out through one hole and bent across the base and back into the other hole.

16. In a construction or the character described the combination with a bulb having a neck posed across the outer surface or the base-end body as an end contact, and having its end sheltered in said recess.

17. In a construction of the character described the combination with a bulb having a neck portion, of a screw shell secured'about the bulb neck and an associated insulative base-end body hav- I ing adjacent holes therethrough, and a lead wire extending from said bulb out through one of said holes and bent back into the other hole, with its portion between the holes exposed as an end con tact.

18. In a construction of the character described the combination with a bulb having a neck portion, of a screw shellsecured about the bulb'neck and an associated insulative base-end body having an opening therethrough, and an adjacent recess, and a lead wire extending from said bulb out through said'opening and bent over and exposed across the outer surface of the base-end body as an end contact, and having its end cemented fast in said recess.

19. In a construction of the character described the combination with a bulb having a neck portion, of a screw shell secured about the bulb neck and an associated vitreous base-end body havin an opening therethrough, and a lead wire extending from said bulb out through said opening and bent over and exposed across the outer surface of the base-end body as an end contact, and having its end fused into said vitreous body.

LOUIS L. MATSON. 

